So. As you all know, I ran in my first road race this weekend (I survived-barely), the Paddy’s five miler…here is my assessment of the whole racing competition situation…
Pro: The race (like most races) was in the morning. Which means you get it out of the way and you don’t have to spend the whole day dreading it. Also, if you’re a normally adjusted human being, you have the rest of your day to be productive and do stuff. Or, if you’re me, you can take a four hour nap immediately after.
Con: The race was in the morning. The one thing I dislike more than running, is mornings.
I look happy to be awake and running, but trust me, pictures can be deceiving…
Pro: You pay to run, and all of the proceeds go to a charitable organization, New Heights. New Heights is a program for for kids in Portsmouth, so its good to do good things. Go charity!
Con: You pay to run. I had to pay money to do something I don’t like. Which seems odd to me…
Pro: You get a really cool tracker anklet that tracks how far/fast you run and makes you feel like a convict/con-man/Lindsay Lohan
Con: You get a really cool tracker anklet that tracks how far/fast you run…like I really wanted to know how slowly I was running?
Tracking anklet…Neil Caffrey style
Pro: You’re running with other people, and there is a definite excitement and energy in the air that gets your blood pumping and adrenaline flowing. Added bonus: if you race in a St. Patrick’s day race people tend to dress up at Leprechauns.
Con: You’re running with people. There’s a reason why I train alone, I don’t like people to watch me suffer/struggle/sweat. Lucky me, I got to do all three in front of 1,160 other racers. And their families.
I made the mistake of starting the race at the front with the people who actually like to run…
Pro: They announce your name/bib number/hometown as you cross the finish line, and it kind of makes you feel like a superstar.
Con: They announce your name/bib number/hometown as you cross the finish line, causing the people who finished the race 30 minutes ago to be amazed that there are actually still people “running”.
Pro: I love to compete, and I definitely miss the competition that comes with playing sports. So it felt pretty good to get back in the competitive spirit.
Con: I love to compete, and I hate to lose. I loathe to lose. I don’t like when the volleyball team I co-coach loses, I don’t like when the volleyball team I play on loses, I don’t like losing my car keys, I don’t like losing card games, and I don’t like feeling like I’m slowly losing my mind sometimes. I don’t like losing. So even though I wasn’t expecting to be a running superstar on my first race, it still stung a bit as all the daddy’s pushing toddlers in strollers passed me. Woof.
Pro: At the end of this particular race, you get a beer!
Con: There’s really no downside to getting a free beer as a reward for suffering through 5 miles.
I was hoping for a Bud Light…but I’m not one to complain about free beer
Conclusion: What have I learned from this race running experience? I don’t hate running races (which going into it I thought was a definite possibility). All of the pros/cons seem to even each other out, so really, running in a race, isn’t any worse than running solo. So, I don’t hate running races, I just hate running. Ya. That hasn’t changed. Running with 1,000 people, running by myself, doesn’t really make a difference. Running is running and its a miserable experience. The first thing I said to my dad at the finish line…”I should have put ‘run 5 miles on my list’ instead of a half marathon…”. Ya. I’m really regretting this whole half marathon situation. Running 5 miles this weekend was a misery. And that’s not even half of a half marathon. I was hoping that this St. Paddy’s day race would ease my fears about running my half marathon…but now…I’m officially dreading it.
I look very happy and generally well put together for having just run 5 miles, but again, pictures are deceiving…
Thanks for reading! xo Whitney
